


Saturday Night

by Hevheia



Series: The Old Guard Duolingo Prompts [7]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, First Dates, Fluff, Immortal Husbands Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:41:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27010678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hevheia/pseuds/Hevheia
Summary: After years of friendship, Joe has finally mustered the courage to ask Nicky on a date, but he is in for a surprise.Part of the The Old Guard Duolingo prompts series: a series I started posting on tumblr where I take random sentences from duolingo and use them as prompts for small drabbles of our favourite immortals!
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: The Old Guard Duolingo Prompts [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952467
Comments: 12
Kudos: 182





	Saturday Night

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: the story module "Saturday Night" (sabato sera)

Joe’s heart never fails to go batshit insane as soon as he lays eyes on Nicky. You would think that after three years of friendship and one year of seeing each other almost every day, one would get used to the sight of another person, of a _friend_. Turns out that isn’t necessarily the case.

But it’s this ridiculously exaggerated reaction of his heart that tells him Nicky isn’t only a friend. Or that he at least wishes he isn’t. Of course, Nile is very ardent about pointing it out to him whenever the occasion arises as well.

It seems Nile and his heart have finally gotten through to him, though, because when he walks past one of the posters for a concert that litter the campus walls lately, he stops and reads it. It’s a stylish poster, simple and elegant, the work of someone who knows what they’re doing. A white double-sided axe stands against a black background, beneath it is written: ‘The Old Guard’ along with the venue, date and other details. He remembers Nile saying something about it being a perfect date opportunity.

Joe takes a picture and when he gets back to his dorm room, he buys two tickets before he can change his mind. It's only when he has the order confirmation that he thinks he maybe should’ve checked if the band is any good. He shrugs, even if it happens to be the worst band in existence, at least they’ll have something to laugh about afterwards.

He meets Nicky the next day for lunch, like they meet every day, and his heart practically leaps out of his chest when Nicky smiles and waves at him. They talk about classes and work while they eat. Or rather, Nicky talks and Joe nervously picks at his food thinking he should ask now. No, now. Come on, now. Why is it so hard? He has asked Nicky to go do something a thousand times before.

“-and then the raccoon jumped through the window in a superhero costume and ate my assignment.”

Joe looks up with a frown. “Raccoon?”

Nicky snorts. “There you are. What’s on your mind?”

Joe looks away, pursing his lips. _Okay, now._ “A date.”

Nicky's fork falls into his plate and he fumbles to pick it up again, not meeting Joe's eyes. “A date?” He clears his throat. “I didn’t know you had a date.”

“Well no, not yet. I mean a date as in a… as in a you-and-me-date.” What is happening to him? Usually he’s so good with words. 

Nicky looks at him in confusion. “A you-and-me-hang-out-as-we-always-do-date?”

“No,'' Joe says slowly, really wishing the fire alarm would go off or something so they could both flee for their lives. “Kind of a you-and-me-date-date. There's a band playing this Saturday and I thought it might be, you know, fun to go,” he quickly continues before Nicky can speak. “They’re called The Old Guard and I’ve already bought tickets so it would be kind of a shame to waste them.”

“This Saturday? I’m afraid I already have plans, I’m so sorry.”

“Oh,” Joe says very eloquently. “Oh, yeah, no sure.”

“I planned on working on my thesis this weekend,” Nicky explains with a very apologetic look on his face that makes it somehow even worse. “I’m behind on my schedule, you know.”

“No of course, that’s alright. School’s more important.” Joe stuffs rice in his mouth so the disappointment won’t show on his face. Nicky could’ve just told him he didn’t want to go on a date with him, they’ve always been honest with each other. And Joe had really thought... hoped... stupid, stupid.

“I’m sorry, I gotta go to class now. see you tomorrow?” Nicky is already getting up. probably desperate to get away.

Joe squeezes out a smile. It hurts his cheeks. “See you tomorrow.”

*

“I’ve heard they’re really good, thanks for taking me,” Nile says excitedly as they enter the venue. It’s already pretty crowded so they stand almost all the way to the back.

“Of course,” Joe says.

Nile must’ve noticed the lingering sadness in his voice, though, because she says, “Hey, I’m sure he really had planned to work on his thesis. You know how he gets when a deadline is drawing near.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Joe says with a shrug and tries to forget the fact he has barely seen Nicky since their fatal lunch.

They talk of other things until the lights in the audience dim and the spots on stage turn on. The crowd cheers wildly as the band members enter the stage, and Joe is surprised to discover they are friends of his. Andy takes place behind the drum, Quynh picks up a shining red guitar and Booker a dark green bass guitar. 

“Hm, I didn't know they had a band,” he mutters to Nile. Though he faintly recalls them talking about rehearsals.

Then the singer comes on stage and Joe's heart stops working altogether. He's standing a far way off, but he would recognise those broad shoulders anywhere, that step as he walks to the mic, that brown hair.

“Is that _Nicky_?” he yells over the crowd and turns to Nile to find her actually laughing. “you _knew_?”

Nile has a mischievous and very pleased twinkle in her eyes. “I designed their poster.”

Joe wants to ask more but Andy ticks off and the band starts playing. And when Nicky starts singing Joe forgets every language in existence and his poor, just revived heart goes right back into cardiac arrest. He knows Nicky can sing, from secretly overhearing him humming to himself as he cleans or cooks, sometimes even coaxing a chorus from him when he plays one of Nicky's favourite songs on the piano, but he never knew he could sing like _that_. His voice is rougher than Joe expected, and so full of conviction and emotion. 

“This can’t be true,” he mutters to himself after listening absolutely paralysed to several songs. He starts elbowing his way to the front of the crowd, barely noticing Nile hastily following him.

Somehow, he manages to reach the edge of the stage and stands there like a still statue in the sea of dancing bodies. They are throwing him strange looks, but he has only eye for one person. Nicky, singing his soul out on stage with closed eyes and furrowed brow, moving along with the music and Andy's steady beat. He looks more handsome than Joe has ever seen him, with his earrings and his hair falling in his eyes and is that eyeliner he’s wearing? 

Then Nicky opens his eyes, and they immediately find Joe, as if he knew he’s standing right there. and he smiles. the bastard _smiles at Joe_. and god, if Joe didn’t already know he was hopelessly in love with Nicky, then he surely does now.

The music falls back into something calmer, and Quynh trades her electric guitar for an acoustic one. Nicky's voice is so heartfelt and vulnerable, Joe closes his eyes for a moment, absentmindedly swaying to the melody. 

Halfway through the song, Nicky steps away from the mic stand. 

_“And if you’d ask me to  
I’d spend all my eternities with you”_

As he sings this, he kneels right in front of Joe and reaches out his hand. And Joe stares at it and up at Nicky’s eyes and back again as if he’s never seen a hand before. Nile elbows him softly in the side and Nicky smiles encouragingly at him as he repeats the verses. Joe's hand is trembling as he takes Nicky's, and he blinks to try and clear his suddenly blurred vision. He barely registers the crowd’s cheers as their hands meet, his whole world narrows down to their touch and the man singing before him. For him.

In the guitar solo that follows, Nicky leans forward and presses his lips to the back of Joe's hand and all Joe can do is hold on for dear life and smile and laugh through escaping tears. After a last squeeze, Nicky releases him with a smile. And in that smile, Joe catches a glimpse of the quiet and shy man Nicky is behind the stage, the Nicky he knows so well and has come to love with all his heart. 

The rest of the concert goes by in a blissful haze with dancing and singing and yelling at the top of his lungs. 

Afterwards, Nicky finds Joe and Nile in the bar of the venue. He's changed back into his usual simple shirt and jeans and has removed the eyeliner. By the timid way he approaches, nobody would ever guess what a performance he gave mere moments ago. 

“I'll go get some new drinks,” Nile says and slips away, smiling and complimenting Nicky on her way.

Nicky and Joe stand in awkward silence for a minute, Nicky shifting on his feet, barely daring to meet Joe's eyes and Joe observing him with a soft smile. 

“Working on your thesis, huh?”

Nicky chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Joe continues.

Nicky swallows. “I think I was scared. Of what you would think and that you wouldn’t like it. And I’m not that good of a singer so I was-”

“Please tell me you don’t honestly think that,” Joe interrupts and takes a step closer. “You were fantastic up there, Nicky, absolutely phenomenal.”

Nicky glances at Joe with that slight smile of his that makes Joe's heart skip a beat every time.

“Thank you,” Nicky says. “But i’m really sorry, I should have told you. When you asked me to go out, I panicked completely and made such a fool of myself.” 

The most endearing embarrassed smile crosses his lips as he rubs his cheek with his hand, so you really can’t blame Joe that he takes another step closer and takes that hand in his, bringing it to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to the knuckles.

Nicky stares at him with wide eyes.

“So does that mean you do want to go out with me?” Joe asks, playfully raising one eyebrow. 

And the smile that breaks out on Nicky's face is more brilliant than all the spotlights centered on him this evening combined. “Yes,” he says, “i would want nothing more.”

What Joe wants nothing more is to kiss Nicky right then and there, and he probably would have, if Nile and the rest of The Old Guard didn’t appear behind Nicky. 

“Thank god, he _knows_ ,” Andy says, clapping Nicky on the back. “Can we now finally ask him to be our pianist?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think I would love to hear it. <3
> 
> Also feel free to [send me](https://nickydestati.tumblr.com/ask) your own duolingo prompts!


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